Community | August 04, 2009 | 17 comments

Abortion Providers Face Uncertain Future

GRITtv
Just one month after the death of Dr. George Tiller the Center for Reproductive Rights released a chilling report that shows abortion providers and their clinics are under siege. A four-month investigation in six states revealed that death threats, break ins, and assaults continue to impede women’s access to clinics. Rather than use Tiller’s death to make the case that doctors and their patients should be protected, the federal government has done very little. So how should those who believe in a woman’s right to have an abortion respond?

Dr. Susan Wicklund, author of This Common Secret: My Journey as an Abortion Doctor, Sunsara Taylor, a correspondent for Revolution Newspaper, and Mia Herndon, Executive Director of the Third Wave Foundation on the impact of Dr. Tiller’s death. You can find out more about Dr. Wicklund’s clinic and pledge-a-picketer program here.
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17 comments // Abortion Providers Face Uncertain Future

  • estrahon
    • 0
      estrahon  
    • Thanks for replying. But to correct you, I'm not a religious person. Spiritual, sure, but I don't worship under any human mandated religion. You don't have to be religious to believe that people have a soul. My response was my opinion and not a reflection by what I read in a bible. I agree with you that there are too many people in this world but I'm not going to agree that a way to handle this situation would be to kill those who are not wanted. I'm not saying that people should give birth for the sake of giving life, but that those who create life should take responsibility for it. Not destroy it because it's an inconvienience.

      A young mother would be inconvienenced by her mistake, but she should still take responibility for it and work harder to make things happen for her. She can still go to school, she can still get a degree, she can still have a career. It'll be harder for her sure but she's taking responsibility. The dream of settling in a successful life and then having children is a dream. Things never happen in the order you want them to, you can only take responsibility and live your life with the choices you make.

    • 2 years ago
  • Johnll
  • estrahon
    • 0
      estrahon  
    • Obviously it is a matter of perception since I beleive that life begins at conception. Not only is organic matter being created but a "soul" as well, or life... Women may choose to have an abortion for many reasons. Being young and stupid: aborting a baby because it will ruin your life is completely selfish to the fullest. Being raped: they don't want to be stigmatized with the memory. However, aborting your baby will not rid of the memory that you will end up dealing with for the rest of your life. Being told you will die: personal opinion from myself being a mother, I would live as long as it took for my baby to be born even if it cost me my life.

      I am a woman and I don't believe that women have rights once they become pregnant. How do I know this? Well because once a woman becomes pregnant her entire body works against her in order to grow the child inside. It doesn't care about her "rights", it will leech the calcium from her bones if it has to. This whole thing with a woman having a rights when it comes to abortion is a feminist ideal.

    • 2 years ago
  • fun_size
    • 0
      fun_size  
    • estrahon:

      "Not only is organic matter being created but a "soul" as well"

      Surprise surprise you're religious. Never could've guessed that a religious person would be against abortion. /sarcasm

      "aborting a baby because it will ruin your life is completely selfish to the fullest."

      Yes it is... but its YOUR life. If you dont care for your life then who will? If you have the option of going to college and getting a degree and having a career or becoming a single teenage mother with no income why in the hell would you ever pick the latter?

      "Being raped: they don't want to be stigmatized with the memory. However, aborting your baby will not rid of the memory that you will end up dealing with for the rest of your life."

      Sure youre going to hold the scars of being raped forever... but you really advocate women keeping a memento of being raped? How could you love a baby that is 1/2 you and 1/2 the person who RAPED YOU.

      I agree that life is something to be cherished and each and every person is special... but giving birth just for the sake of giving life is dumb. Theres too many people in the world as is. The last thing we need are more crack babies and children being put into boarding houses. Growing up without a family is a very sad way to start a life. If you really cared that much about life then you would adopt children.

    • 2 years ago
  • fun_size
    • 0
      fun_size  
    • Abortion is a very controversial issue for good reason. Its all a matter of perception. I personally believe that life begins at your first unassisted breath. Therefore, abortion in my opinion is an acceptable practice. This does not mean that i condone people using abortion as a means of contraceptive seeing as how condoms are easy to get and birth control pills are usually effective. Abortion is also sometimes a GOOD idea. Having a child at the wrong time can completely RUIN someones future. Its not fair to let a child be born into home with a single teenage mother with no income. I dont expect everyone to agree with my beliefs but hey at least i dont KILL PEOPLE to get a point across.

    • 2 years ago
  • TheJerryMadden
    • 0
      TheJerryMadden  
    • although i decided to keep my daughter, i do beleive that some woman have the right to rid an unwanted fetus.

      some folks arent ment to be parents.

    • 2 years ago
  • BreakingTheThreshold
    • 0
      BreakingTheThreshold  
    • We have to teach our children (appropriate age obviously) that when they engage in sex, always use protection and try not to be promiscuous because of the fear of catching an S.T.D. Also there are plenty of ways to have sex without the need to have vaginal intercourse immediately.

      There is oral, anal and toys for pleasure and sexual exploration. I know this conversation will be awkward, but if your children listens to what you said and takes it to heart... they will be less likely to have an abortion and live with the shame and guilt that will haunt them forever.

    • 2 years ago
  • Johnll
  • BreakingTheThreshold
  • Newcastle81
  • BreakingTheThreshold
    • 0
      BreakingTheThreshold  
    • BreakingTheThreshold:

      @johnll
      Your are right about having kids distracted with other things.

      I keep my 2 five year old daughters interested in music, science, biology, museums, polyglot, sports and education in general. They are too smart, talented and mature for their age. This is because their mother was K.I.A.(1985-2006) overseas, and this traumatic event made them lose their innocence and naive concept of a good world (though not always, but they did received a stark awakening from an early age).
      They love music and are multi-instrumentalist. Their taste in music is extreme. From Seal and Sigur Ros to Xasthur and Leviathan (check'em out in youtube [acquired taste]) and everything in the middle.
      I don't know where this reply went to (it strayed off sex-ed), just food for thought.

    • 2 years ago
  • Newcastle81
    • 0
      Newcastle81  
    • Yes the actions of the Parents can be the most contributing factor in terminations however looking at the statistics it is worrying. Since 1973 over 50 million women have had abortions a large number of them over 43% of abortions carried out have been by women who are already mothers, the decision to have a termination in some is the hardest choice these women will ever make. Reasons for choosing this action could range from
      Finacial
      Home environment
      Health issues both for the mother & the child
      Whilst a large worrying number have used the system of abortion as an alternative to contraception, whilst I am not against abortions for cases were it is in the best interests of all the case for using this as a contraception is wrong. Education in the methods of birthcontrol is needed I beleive that mandatory education in this area is needed, Pro-life groups & Catholic organisation's who portray sex education as nothing more then "Evil or grooming children" need to start understanding that for there actions there are reprecussions such as a high volume of unwanted teenage pregnancies, not just in the states but the world throughout. Abortion whilst the most extreme measure is sometimes the only option for a lot of women those who have underlying medical issues that could result in a child with both physical & mental disabilities. Obama said it best when he stated "We need to work together to reduce the amount of abortions" some may say that was wrong to say it's correct through education the removal of the stigma the level of abortions could be reduced dramatically, Threats to people & even attacks on them either for providing this service or using the service never should be tolarated in any sense. Over 87% of counties in the US have no access to providers due to Training, finacial & cultural issues, these are medical professional's assisting other human beings & therefore should be treat as such.
      As for your comment breadbox no I do beleive evry woman who chooses an abortion is being selfish, yes there actions may have brought them to this choice however as I have said more education into contraceptive methods is needed even in married couples as I have said over 43% of abortions carried out are from those who are already mothers.

    • 2 years ago
  • breadbox
    • 0
      breadbox  
    • What makes it right for someone to push aside responsibility and take away a chance of a child’s life when their own actions led them to the situation in the first place? People need to be responsible for the decisions they make. Putting the child up for adoption is an option, but yet people are too selfish to think problems over in their mind.

    • 2 years ago
  • Johnll
  • fun_size
    • 0
      fun_size  
    • breadbox:

      Putting a child up for adoption is just an easy out... much in the same way as an abortion. Is it any better bringing a child into this already overcrowded world just for the sake of giving birth and then giving them away to a stranger(if their lucky) or spending their childhood at a boarding house? Or how is it any better to bring a child up in a loveless relationship where the child was an accident in the first place?

      There is no easy solution to this issue but to outlaw abortion is nonsense. People dont just make a trip out of going to the abortion clinic... its ALWAYS a hard thought out final solution.

    • 2 years ago
  • breadbox
    • 0
      breadbox  
    • breadbox:

      Yes but with abortion the child is left with no option, don’t you think they should at least be given a chance? There are many couples out there who are extremely loving, caring and deserving of a child but are unable to have children. And chances are good that some parents who want children will still bring them up in an abusive situation. It’s a sad world. But not taking responsibility for poor choices isn't the way out of a situation.

    • 2 years ago
  • timetide
    • 0
      timetide  
    • breadbox:

      breadbox, lets take your idea of the vast majority of mums not aborting their fetus, but instead carry out the pregnacy give it up for adoption. then you would have a situation where there the adoption system is quickly overloaded. AKA Texas. this is a prime example. Texas has one of the nations lowewst reported abortion rates, and conversly its foster care and adoption care system collapsed months ago. So obviously the "tough it out and think of the poor poor children and give it up" route is a bust.

    • 2 years ago
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